Concrete-mixture bucket.



J. B. SMITH. CONCRETE MIXTURE BUCKET.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1911. 1,Q62,61 3 Patented May 27, 1913.

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J. B. SMITH. CONCRETE MIXTURE BUCKET. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1911.

1,062,6 1 3. Patented May 27, 1913.

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WITNESSES Patented May 27, 1913.

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COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D. c.

JOHN B. SMITH, 0F NEAR KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE.

CONCRETE-MIXTURE BUCKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 27, 1913.

Application filed August 5, 1911. Serial No. 642,518.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing near Knoxville, in the county of Knox and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Concrete Mixture Buckets, of which the following is a specification, .reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

My improvement relates particularly to buckets used for receiving concrete mixture from the mixing machine and conveying said mixture to and discharging it into molds.

The object of the invention is to provide such a bucket which is adapted for discharging the concretemixture into various forms of molds, especially upright molds which are narrow and have at one side an upward-extended wall or molds having reinforcing rods extending higher than one of the walls, so that a bucket can not extend across said mold. The bucket is also intended for convenient discharge into the angles of molds or into a portion of a wall mold extending to a transverse wall.

A- leading feature of my improved bucket is that it is filled, carried, and discharged in the upright position and has an upright, wide face or wall which is adapted to rest closely against an upright mold wall or face or row of reinforcing rods in a mold, the bucket having a bottom discharge door hinged parallel to and as long as and extending directly to the base of said upright face and being provided with efficient locking mechanism.

My bucket is further characterized by being relatively high and having a relatively narrow bottom opening and a door adapted to deflect concrete mixture laterally, whereby the mixture is subjected to hydrostatic action effective for projecting the mixture laterally across molds, as hereinafter more fully explained.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bucket embodying my improvement, portions being broken away; Fig. 2 is an elevation looking toward the left in Fig. 1, portions being broken away; Fig. 3 is an elevation looking toward the right in Fig. 1, portions being broken away and the door being open; Fig. 4 is a sectional plan, the door being closed; Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of the crankshaft locking mechanism.

Referring to said drawings, 1 is the front side wall of the bucket; 2, 2 are the end walls, and 3 is the rear side wall. The walls, 1 and 2, 2, are upright, while the rear side wall, 3, slopes from its upper edge toward the lower edge of the front wall, 1, and is steep and has its lower edge relatively near the lower edge of the front wall, so that the chamber of the bucket has its sides gradually approaching each other from above downward to form a relatively narrow or slot-form door opening. But the front wall is in the form of a parallelo gram. This brings the end walls upright and the door opening is consequently relatively long, as is desirable for the work for which the bucket is more especially designed. Any suitable bail, 4, is applied to the upper edge of the bucket, with its high est portion in the line of the center of gravity of the bucket, and said bail is preferably rigid on the bucket, in order that the bucket may be the more readily held accurately in the upright position during filling, carrying, and discharging. On each end wall is an ear, 5, extending a little way beyond the rear side wall, 3, and having a hori- Zontal aperture, 6; and on the rear face of the rear wall, 3, is an ear 7, having an aperture 8, in line with the apertures, 6. A shaft, 9, extends through said ears, 5 and 7. A door, 10, extends across the slot-form mouth between the lower edges of the side wall, 1 and 3, and has at each end an upright lip, 10, extending over the outer face of the adjacent end wall, 2. From each end and from the middle of the door, 10, arms, 11, extend to and surround the shaft, 9. The shaft, 9, may be held against endwise movement by any suitable means. By means of said ears, arms, and shaft, said door is hinged so as to swing rearward away from the upright front wall, 1, of the bucket. For closing said door and locking itwhen closed, pairs of links, 13, rocking arms, 14, and cams, 15, are placed opposite the end walls of the bucket. The lower end of each of the links, 13, is coupled to the adjacent arm, 11, of the door while its upper end is coupled to the forward end of the rocking arm, 14. Said rocking arm is pivoted between its ends on a journal, 16, supported by the adjacent end wall, 2.

Resting in bearings, 17, which are located on the rear side wall, 3, rearward and a little above the journal, 16, is a double crank shaft, 18. Each end of said shaft projects through its bearing and supports one of the cams, 15, in the plane of the adjacent rocking arm, the cam being keyed to the shaft so as to be immovable thereon. And said cams are at the same side of the axis of said shaft as is the crank of said shaft, so that when the crank is turned downward (as shown in Fig. 1), each cam will have pressed the rear end of the adjacent rocking lever downward, the forward end of said lever and the link, 13, and the door, 10, having at the same time moved upward. Each cam, 15, has flanges, 15 extending downward at each side of the adjacent rocking arm, 14, to hold the latter against lateral movement.

The relative dimensions of the several parts are such as to cause the door to be closed tightly when the crank and said cams are in this low position. And the strain through the cams being now substantially perpendicular to the length of the rocking lever, downward strain upon the door, due to its weight and the weight of the concrete mixture in the bucket, will be resisted by said cam. In other words, the rocking levers, 14, the links, 13, and the door are now securely locked so long as the crank remains in said position. lVhen these parts are to be unlocked for the discharge'of concrete mixture through the door opening, the crank shaft is turned rearward and upward, whereby the cams are turned rearward and upward until the rear ends of the rocking arms are free to rise. Then the door opens by the action of gravity.

For the purpose of firmly locking the crank in its lower position so as to positively prevent rearward and upward movement and thereby permitting accidental opening of the door, 10, while the filled bucket is being carried and before it is in the precise position desired for discharging into the mold, an automatic locking mechanism is mounted upon the exterior of the rear wall, 3, of the bucket. For this purpose, two angle plates, 19, are placed upright and parallel to'each other with two flanges directed from each other and restmg against said wall, leaving the other two flanges parallel to each other and separated far enough to receive between them the hook, 21. Said angle plates are secured to said wall plates, 3, by rivets, 20. The hook, 21, is hinged by a horizontal bolt, 22, extending through the parallel flanges of the angle plates and the hook. Said hook has in its lower portion a semi-circular recess or notch, 23, of proper size to receive the crank of the crank shaft, 18, when the "member is forcibly raised by hand.

latter and the hook are in their lower positions.

Above the hook, 21, is a hinged gravity locking member, 24. Said member performs two functions, namely, to hold the hook, 21, in its lower position and also in its upper position. The holding in the lower position is positive, while the holding in the upper position is yielding to rearward and downward strain placed upon said hook. Said locking member, 24, extends between the angle plates, 19, and is hinged to such plates by a bolt, 25, extending horizontally through said plates and said locking member. Said member is of proper length to bear upon the outer portion of the hook, 21, when said member is turned downward between its hinge and such outer portion of said hook when the latter is in its lower position. As will be seen in Figs. 5 and 6, when this relation of these parts is assumed, the locking member is still rearward of an upright line extending through its hinge, so that the weight of said locking member makes it tend to bear toward the adjacent wall of the bucket and maintain a firm engagement with the hook to prevent the latter from rising until such time as said locking The edge of the member, 24, which is directed toward the hook is preferably curved so as to form a cam face the lower portion of which is the farther from the hinge of said member when the latter is in the locking bucket. And the outer end of the hook, 21,

has a point or nose, 27 which is adapted to rest against said shoulder when said. locking member and said hook are both in their raised positions. This adapts the locking member to hold the hook in the raised position; for the weight of the locking member causes said member to bear downward sufliciently to make such engagement between said nose and said shoulder as will not be overcome by the rearward pressure of the hook due to the rearward leaning of the latter away from the adjacent wall of the bucket. But when a force greater than such force due to gravity is applied to said hook in the rearward and downward direction, said nose will push said shoulder rearward and upward, the locking member being turned upward on its hinge until said nose has disengaged itself entirely from i said shoulder and rendered the hook free to fall by gravity. Such extra or larger force may be applied to the hook automatically by the crank shaft when its crank moves to its lower limit. For this purpose, a heel or point, 28, is formed on the hook at the side of the notch, 23, which is adjacent the hinge of said hook. Said heel is lower than the axial line of said hook, or at least below a I curved line which cuts said axis and is concentric to the axis of the crank shaft, 18. hen the crank of the crank shaft falls through its curved path, it strikes the heel, 28, wit-h sufficient force to make said heel and the rest of the hook, 21, below the axis of said hook turn forward while the portion of said hook above said axis turns rearward, forcing the locking member to turn upward until the nose, 27, is disengaged from the shoulder, 26.

WVhen the bucket has been brought into the precise position above the mold for discharging the load of mixture from the bucket, the locking member, 24, may be turned rearward and upward by an attendant and the hook, 91, then turned similarly until the nose, 27, is engaged by the shoulder, 26, for the locking of said hook in the upper or open position. The crank of the crank shaft is now free to be drawn-rearward and upward for the turning of the cams, 15, in the same direction to allow the rear ends of the rocking arms, 14;, to go upward in response to the downward pull of the load of mixture exerting downward strain on the door, 10, links, 13, and forward ends of the rocking arms.

Figs. 1 and 4 show my improved bucket in position for the delivery of the concrete mixture into a relatively narrow mold having a high wall, A, at one side and a low wall. B. which is to be built progressively. at the other side. And between said walls and adjacent the wall, A, are a row of long, upright reinforcing rods, C, which extend 'above the upper edge of the wall, B, indefinitely. In such operation, the front upright wall of the bucket may rest closely against the row of reinforcing rods (or against the mold wall, A, if the reinforcing rods are absent) whereby the discharge opening of the bucket is brought into the mold; and during the opening ofthe door and the discharge of the mixture, the bucket can remain in this position, for the discharge opening and the door and the door-securing mechanism are all located rearward of said front wall, and during their movement, the door and all the members of said securing mechanism remain rearward of said upri ht wall. In other words, no part of the door and no part of the door-securing mechanism reaches forward beyond the front upright wall or face of the bucket so as to interfere with its lying against an upright mold wall and remaining there during the discharge. And it is to be noted that the door-securing mechanism is also a door-closing mechanism having a maintained operative relation with the door and adapted for the closing of the door after only a portion of the mixture has been discharged, so that the bucket may be moved horizontally over a narrow mold,

first discharging a portion of the mixture into one part of the mold, and then discharging another portion of the mixture into another part of the mold, and so on until all the mixture has been discharged. Furthermore, the door securing mechanism is adapted to holding the door at various angles after it leaves the closed position, so that the discharge opening between the lower edge of the wall and the free edge of the door is more or less limited and the door varies in its efficiency as a deflector for projecting the mixture laterally. The cams and cooperating parts may be of such proportions as that the door will be inclined toward the plane of the front wall even when the crank is entirely free, as is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, so that there is lateral movement of the mixture even when the crank is entirely free. And it is to be observed that the faces of the discharge opening are so steep when the door is openthey are nearly all uprightas to make them substantially self-clearing, so that no pieces of stone from the mixture will adhere to prevent the closing of the door. And it is to be further noted that the construction is such as to permit utilizing the weight of the bucket in closing the door when the bucket is empty. This is done by letting the bucket down until it rests on the ground. In descending, the free edge of the door touches and turns upon the ground until the door has been closed. Then the attendant turns the crank shaft so as to force the locking cams downward, if the crank and cams do not so turn by the action of gravity. And the gravity locking member then enters into engagement with the crank as already described. And the discharge opening is long and narrow, which adapts the bucket for discharge into narrow molds heretofore filled only by hand shoveling. Furthermore, the fact that the discharge opening is narrow makes the cross section of the stream of mixture discharged from the bucket lim ited relative to the volume of material in the bucket when the latter is full. By combining the features of a narrow discharge opening, a relatively high body for the bucket, and approximately straight or steep walls, the mixture is subjected to hydrostatic action and a concentration of velocity and momentum effective for propelling the mixture stream sidewise. That is to say,

when the door is closed and the bucket is full of the mixture, the mass is of such height as to put upon the lower portion thereof such pressure as will immediately forcibly start a stream through said opening, and the thus-established downward movement of the mass creates momentum which supplements, more and more, the pressure which diminishes with the diminishing height of the mass. The passing of a relatively large volume through the relatively small opening is of importance in attaining adequate velocity for the laterally-moving stream. Furthermore, the curved or concave, inclined door facilitates deflection and aids in initiating movement of the mixture mass in the bucket as soon as ,the door is sufliciently opened to allow the passing of any mixture. The door is inclined even while it is closed, and such inclination is increased by the lowering of the free edge of the door. The mass of mixture in the bucket, it will be observed, is practically without a base. It converges from above downward to practically an edge or to sub stantially the cross section of the stream to be projected laterally. It is to be further observed that making the door narrow from its free edge toward its hinge provides a limited area over which a large volume of mixture moves rapidly under pressure and momentum whereby the upper face of the door is scoured aud automatically kept free from adhering mixture. And the end walls, 2, of the bucket are fiat and the ears, 5, links, 13,

rocking arms, 14, and cams, 15, are located so closely against said end walls as to permit the moving of the bucket endwise along a narrow mold closely to a wall which is upright and at right angles to the mold.

Since the raising of the crank of the rock shaft releases the door, the bucket may be used for delivering concrete mixture into deep water, ropes or chains being attached to said gravity locking member and said crank for raising them when the bucket has descended to the proper depth for discharge. My bucket is also well adapted for the spreading of concrete mixture in the laying of side-walks, floors, etc., in which the mass is to be spread out relatively thin. In this operation, the construction whereby the door is kept under control so as to be allowed to open to only the desired distance, whereby the discharge is limited, is important. By quickly partially opening the door when the bucket is full of the mixture, the greater portion of the charge may be projected horizontally or approximately horizontally across a relatively wide mold, the door lips, 10, assisting in this movement. In practice, discharges have thus been effected across a mold six feet wide and containing reinforcing rods. And aside from the uses in special situations, as herein mentioned, my improved bucket is just as good as any other for general uses, for putting concrete mixture'into places or molds which are large and easily accessible.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination of a substantially acute V-shape concrete mixture bucket body having its front wall vertical and its rear wall inclined and having a narrow opening at its bottom end between the lower edges of the front and rear walls, the height of the body being so proportioned to the transverse width from front to rear as to produce a positive pressure head for the mixture, a bottom door extending across said bottom opening and having a path of movement located rearward of saidfront wall, and door closing mechanism located and arranged to move in paths located rearward of said front wall and to hold the door inclined toward the lower edge of the front wall when the door is open, substantially as described.

2. In a concrete mixture bucket, the combination with a relatively high upright body having an upright front wall of approximately uniform width, a rear wall, approximately straight and parallel end walls and a bottom opening, a concave bottom door extending across said bottom opening and having a path of movement located rearward of said front wall, and door closing mechanism located and arranged to move in paths located rearward of said front wall and to hold the door inclined toward the lower edge of the front wall when the door is open, said walls being relatively high and the rear wall being steep and slanting toward the front wall from above clownward and having its lower edge near enough to the lower edge of the front wall to make the bottom opening relatively narrow between said edges and to make the cross section of the stream of mixture passing through the bottom opening, when the door is open or partly open, restricted relative to the volume of material in the bucket when -the latter is full, so that there is such degree of hydrostatic pressure, velocity, and concentration of momentum exerted upon the concrete mixture as will cause the mixture to be moved rapidly laterally through the passage between the lower edge of the front wall and the free edge of the door, substantially as described.

8. In a concrete mixture bucket, the combination with a relatively high upright body having an upright front wall of approximately uniform width, a rear wall, approximately straight and parallel end walls and a bottom opening, an inclined, concave bottom door extending across said bottom opening and having a path of movement located rearward of said front wall, and door closing mechanism located and arranged to move in paths located rearward of said front wall and to hold the door inclined toward the lower edge of the front wall when the door is open, said walls being relatively high and the rear wall being steep and slanting toward the front wall from above downward and having its lower edge near enough to the lower edge of the front wall to make the bottom opening relatively narrow between said edges and to make the cross section of the stream of mixture passing through the bot-tom opening, when the door is open or partly open, restricted relative to the volume of material in the bucket when the latter is full, so that there is such degree of hydrostatic pressure, velocity, and concentration of momentum exerted upon the concrete mixture as will cause the mixture to be moved rapidly laterally through the passage between the lower edge of the front wall and the free edge of the door, substantially as described.

4:. In a concrete mixture. bucket, the combination with an upright body having an upright front wall of approximately uniform width, a rear wall slanting toward the front wall from above downward, approximately straight and parallel end walls, and a bottom opening between the lower edges of said' walls, of a bottom door extending across said bottom opening and having a path of movement located rearward of said front wall, and door closing mechanism arranged to move in paths located rearward of said front wall and comprising members engaging each end of said door and comprising also cams in operative relation with said members, and a shaft for actuating. said cams, substantially as described.

5. In a concrete mixture bucket, the combination with an upright body having an upright front wall of approximately uniform width, a rear wall slanting toward the front wall from above downward, approximately straight and parallel end walls, and a bottom opening between the lower edges of said walls, of a bottom door extending across said bottom opening and having a path of movement located rearward of said front wall, and door closing mechanism arranged to move in paths located rearward of said front wall-and comprising members engaging each end of said door, and a crank shaft for actuating said cams, substantially as described.

6. In a concrete mixture bucket, the combination with an upright body having an upright front wall of approximately uniform width, a rear wall slanting toward the front wall from above downward, approximately straight and parallel end walls, and a bottom opening between the lower edges of said walls, of a bottom door extending across said bottom opening and having a path of movement located rearward of said front wall, door closing mechanism arranged to move in paths located rearward of said front wall and comprising a crank shaft and automatic locking mechanism for securing said shaft in the position occupied by the crank shaft when the door is closed, substantially as described,

7 In a concrete mixture bucket, the combination with an upright body having an upright front wall of approximately uniform width, a rear wall slanting toward the front wall from above downward, approximately straight and parallel end walls, and a bottom opening between the lower edges of said walls, of a bottom door extending across said bottom opening and having a path of movement located rearward of said front wall, and door closing mechanism comprising a crank shaft, a hook for engaging said crank shaft when the latter is in the position occupied when the door is closed, and a locking member for securing said hook in engagement with the said crank shaft, substantially as described.

8. In a concrete mixture bucket, the combination with an upright body having an upright front wall of approximately uniform width, a rear wall slanting toward the front wall from above downward, approximately straight and parallel end walls, and a bottom opening between the lower edges of said walls, of a bottom door extending across said bottom opening and having a path of movement located rearward of said front wall, and door closing mechanism in operative relation with the door and comprising a crank shaft, a hook for engaging the crank of said crank shaft when the latter is in the position occupied when the door is closed, and a locking member adapted to positively engage said hook when the latter is in engagement with said crank and to yieldingly engage said hook when the latter is moved away from said crank, substantially as described.

9. In a concrete mixture bucket, the combination with an upright body having an upright; front wall of approximately uniform width, a rear wall slanting toward the front wall from above downward, approximately straight and parallel end walls, and a bottom opening between the lower edges of said walls, of a bottom door extending across said bottom opening and having a path of movement located rearward of said front wall, door closing mechanism in operative relation with the door and comprising a crank shaft, a hook for engaging the crank of said crank shaft when the latter is in the position occupied when the door is closed, and a locking member adapted to positively engage said hook when the latter is in engagement with said crank and to yieldingly engage said hook when the latter is moved away from said crank, said hook being adapted to be released from said locking member by said crank during the movement of the latter into the posit-ion occupied when the door is closed, substantially as described.

10. In a concrete mixture bucket, the combination with an upright body having an upright front wall of approximately uniform width, a rear wall slanting toward the front wall from above downward, approximately straight and parallel end walls, and

a bottom opening between the lower edges of said walls, of a bottom door extending across said bottom opening and having a path of movement located rearward of said front wall, door closing mechanism in operative relation with the door and comprising a crank shaft a hook for engaging the crank of said crank shaft when the latter is in the position occupied when the door is closed and adapted to be engaged and turned downward by said crank during the clownward movement of the latter, and a hinged locking member adapted to positively engage said hook in its lower position and yieldingly engage said hook in its upright position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 3rd day of August, in the year one thousand nine hundred and eleven.

JOHN B. SMITH.

Witnesses:

CYRUs KEHR, JNo. M. THQRNBURGH Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

